UK infrastructure ‘not as safe as public thinks’ - ICE report

In its latest State of the Nation report, the ICE said that maintenance of existing infrastructure should be a higher government priority than commissioning new projects. The UK’s creaking transport network and water infrastructure in particular need attention, with long-term planning and strategic investment required to improve safety and supply.

The report calls on ICE members to be honest about the risks of ageing assets. A stark sentence reads: ‘Parts of the network are perhaps not as safe as the public thinks while some structures should have usage restrictions, but don’t.’   

“Now is the time to establish a clear vision of how infrastructure can contribute to a better future for the UK,” said Professor Jim Hall, ICE president.

“We need real prioritisation and long-term strategic thinking, and we need to apply creative solutions to the challenges we face. All this needs to be supported by committed investment.”

According to the report, climate change is exacerbating longstanding issues across the UK’s infrastructure portfolio. Maintaining and bolstering the country’s existing assets is paramount, with delays in transport and water investment potentially having safety implications as well as threatening water supply.

"The government has committed to providing a new national infrastructure strategy this spring," Prof Hall said in the report’s foreword. "So now is the time to establish a clear vision of how infrastructure can contribute to a better future for all of us.

"Some real prioritisation is called for, not only of investments, but also of innovations that need to be exploited and emergent technical solutions that must be better deployed."

In addition to immediate remedial action around transport infrastructure, the report highlighted tidal energy as an area of significant potential for the UK, and one where ICE members’ expertise could make a ‘real difference.’

Water infrastructure is another key area where civil and structural skills can play a central role. While reducing leakage and building new reservoirs are already part of long-term plans, the ICE said that increasing the use of treated wastewater is also a vital for securing future supply.

"This is not a report full of wild, uncosted, undeliverable ideas,” said Prof Hall. “It is the reasoned opinion of practitioners and researchers at the cutting edge of infrastructure."